Letting Go
by GMcGregor
Summary: Team one is called on a burglary call which turns out to be their most difficult mission when one team member's life hangs in the balance. English not being my native language I'll ask you to be gentle.


Letting Go

(Spoilers: « We take care of our own").

Jules is five months along in the course of her pregnancy (small time-jump).

INTERIOR SRU STATION/NIGHT

_The team is exercising. Sam and Spike practice hand to hand combat on the ground as Jules watches, filling out paperwork._

**Jules: **God, I'd give so much to be pinned down to the floor right now.

**Sam**; _smirking: _If I remember correctly it's what put us in trouble in the first place.

**Jules: **That's very funny Sam. I meant I wish I could exercise with you guys instead of filling out reports and supplies forms. I mean we didn't even had a call all day.

**Spike: **Just relax, do what other pregnant women do, like, eating ice-cream and knitting onesies.

**Jules: **I think you should remember that this, (_pointing at her round belly_), is temporary, I'd be kicking your asses soon enough again.

**Winnie **_(voices over intercom), _Team One, Hot Call, possible armed burglary, corner of Finch and Islington.

_The team gather around her desk._

**Greg: **_(looking at his watch, 11pm.) C_an't another team take it?

**Winnie: **Other teams are engage. Team 3 just went home.

**Ed: **Ready for this Jules?

**Jules: **Always Ready.

**Greg: **Alright guys, gear up !

**Winnie: **Sending the address to your PDA's right now.

SRU CARS, _on the way._

**Winnie: **We're getting multiple 911 calls ,guys, neighbors and bystanders reported a disturbance, one call describes multiple individuals forcing their way in the building, possibly armed.

**Ed: **Why did SRU got the call?

**Winnie: **The building contains several firms, including "Global Tech".

**Sam: **Private firm that collects international intel for the military, very hush-hush from what I've heard.

**Greg: **All right team, we're not sure what to expect, we stay alert and establish a perimeter. Jules you're in the truck with me for..

**All team together: **Intel and tech support !

**Jules: **Yeah I'm kind of used to it boss.

ON SCENE. _Spike and Leah approach the building carefully, armed. The street has been cleared._

**Leah: **Boss the coast is clear, no sign of the place being booby-trap. Spike?

_Spike takes out binoculars._

**Spike: **Boss no sign of break –in, but that place must have a tight security. Maybe we're just chasing a night-guard who went out for a cigarette break.

**Winnie: **Negative Spike, the CEO of Global Tech is nearly on the scene, confirms the building doesn't have a night-guard, says the alarm system is flawless.

_Leah takes out a megaphone. _

**Leah: **This is the Strategic Response Unit, get out of the building with your hand on your head.

_No Response_

**Greg: **Ok guys, we've got James Peterson on the scene, CEO of global tech, pull back, he might have some insight on this.

_Spike and Leah pulling back towards the rest of the team, gathered behind the truck, James Peterson is a forty-something bald man in a suit._

**Spike: **We need to see inside, any CCTV you can give us access to?

**Peterson: **No, working on government projectsimpose a certain level of privacy.

**Sam: **Maps, Blueprints, anything.

**Peterson: **Anything I can do to help.

**Jules: **Ok, sir we need you inside, you're going to draw us a plan of the building alright? You can do that for us?

_He nods, follows her and the sergeant inside the truck. Jules sits him down._

**Winnie: **Team, traffic camera picked up something. Two men, stealing a parked car outside a coffee shop just a block away, could be your suspects. No way to get an ID on those guys but we're looking for a white Sedan, Plate: Alpha, Juliet, Zebra, Oscar 250.

_Spike, running with Leah, getting into SUV, _**Spike: **We're on it boss.

**Ed: **How is it possible, no movement in or out of the building since the perimeter has been establish.

**Greg: **Sir, any access out of the building they could have taken to avoid the perimeter?

**Peterson: **The building has a joined corridor with the coffee shop at the back, it's originally a mistake made by the architect as he expanded the neighborhood but the employee likes to be able to get a coffee without leaving the building during winter.

**Greg: **Alright, draw it. _(gives him PDA with light-pen, ) _Jules when he's done send it to all the guys. Winnie get an APB on that car.

**Jules and Winnie: **Copy that.

**Ed: **Boss, I grab Sam and we're checking the building, keeping an eye for any other suspect, or anything that might shed a light on what's this all about.

**Greg: **Copy Eddy, approach cautiously.

**Leah**_(driving),_Winnie anything on the APB?

**Winnie: **Nothing yet, I'll keep you posted.

_Spike takes out a laptop._

**Spike: **I'll start the program, using traffic cams to scan registration plate, might take some time.

_Sam and Ed approach building slowly, getting into an empty, dark, lobby._

**Ed: **No sign of break-in, look like they didn't get any computers or other valuables.

**Jules: **It seems we're missing something here, it'll be good to get a 20 on those guys.

_Ed and Sam still proceeding through the lobby, as Sam lower his sight he notices a small object taped underneath a desk, a watch attached to it, the hour hand reaching 12._

**Sam: **Ed, pull back ! Pull back !

_Ed following his eyes sees the package and retreats with him._

**Ed: **Back Back !

_The Bomb explodes simultaneously with a deafening sound. All team put an hand to their whole lobby explodes; outside, the lowest part of the building is a gigantic wreckage, the crowd contained by officers had screamed but stayed unarmed._

_Jules, Greg and Peterson felt the whole truck shaking. All three go outside and observe the wreckage, looking scared._

**Greg: **Team,status !

**Jules: **_(desperately)._Sam ! Ed ! Status !

**Spike: **Guys ?!

_Ed is on the floor, covered in dust, high-pitched ringing in his ears, doesn't hear the sergeant. Push back a certain amount of debris off him, the lobby is wrecked, with blocs of cement all over the floor, and cables hanging off the ceiling. It is mostly dark, they lost electricity and the entrance has been entirely blocked with debris. Ed tries to get up and cringes from pain, holding is arm which appeared to be broken. As he gets up the ringing stops._

**Jules: **Sam ! Ed ! Status, what happened.

**Ed: **The lobby was booby-trapped, I'm good, think I broke my arm though.

_Greg sighs._

**Jules**_(trying to keep her voice calm)_Have you got a 20 on Sam, he still hasn't responded.

**Ed: **I can't see anything just wait.

_He takes out a flashlight out of his gear, the beam of light reveals mostly nothing except piles of blocs and other debris._

**Ed: **Sam ?

_He walks around, clutching his arm, looking at the wreckage, as he hears a noise he turns around._

_Ed sees Sam's hand pushing back a rock, the rest of his body is underneath a great mass of more massive._

**Ed: **_(to Greg and Jules): _Just hold.

_Jules sighs with ._

**Ed: **I got you Sam ! Just wait.

_Ed puts his flashlight on the his spare hand he clears a few rock. Sam's legs are buried underneath a big and heavy piece of the ceiling, a bar of steel lodged in his left side. He is covered in blood. Looking unaware of his surroundings Sam is coughing and swallowing with pain._

_Ed lets out a gasp and puts in hand on each side of the bar trying to stop the bleeding._

**Jules **_(scared): _What is it.

**Ed: **Sam is stuck, we need EMS brought in right now.

_The team falls silent, Greg passing his hands over his face, Spike and Leah in SUV looking at each other seriously._

**Ed: **Guys it's not good, I can't move him and he's got a piece of metal above the left kidney, bring EMS.

**Winnie: **EMS is on standby.

**Greg: **Ed, I'm looking at the wreckage from outside, we don't have access yet, we need to make a path.

_Ed looks around, the entrance is sealed too from his side._

**Ed: **Same here.

**Jules: **Sam? Can you hear me, can you talk?

**Ed: **His headset is in pieces.

**Jules**_ turning to Greg:_ We need to get in there boss.

**Greg: **I hear you. Spike where are you on the car? We need you on entrance.

**Winnie: **I've got a twenty on the vehicle, it's exiting Sheppard Avenue.

**Leah: **Just seconds away boss.

**Greg: **Slow and easy alright? It's an all different case we're dealing with dangerous bombers now not sloppy burglars.

**Leah: **Copy.

_Greg and Jules get back in the truck with Peterson._

**Jules: **Sir any idea who would try to blow up Global Tech?

**Peterson: **Yeah I do, a bunch of loonies has been targeting us from months now, harassing my employees, accusing us of being responsible for certain attacks on soldiers in Afghanistan, affirming our intel was bogus.

**Greg: **Who are those loonies?

**Peterson: **Activists, families of soldiers.

**Jules: **Winnie try and get some information on those groups at our colleges back at counter-terrorism, see if we can get an angle on this.

**Winnie: **Copy.

_Ed is still closing the wound, trying to stop the flow of blood._

**Ed: **Sam. Come on buddy talk to me.

**Sam: **I saw the bomb….wasn't anything big, no C4, no remote-control trigger, artisanal stuff.

Saw a watch attached to it, functioning with a timer, couldn't be a pro.

**Ed: **You got that Spike?

**Spike:**Yeah.I wish it could tell us something about the bomber but these days you've got a hundred websites explaining how to build a bomb or cooking a Molotov cocktail.

**Ed: **How do you feel buddy?

**Sam: ( **_swallowing): _I'm okay.

_Ed stares at him silently._

**Sam: **I can't feel anything below my navel.

_The team exchange glances, Jules closes her eyes slowly._

_The white Sedan is cornered in an alley between Leah's SUV and a patrol car._

**Leah: **Boss we got the suspects cornered.

**Greg: **Copy.

_Leah grabs the megaphone as Spike and the officers from the patrol car cover her._

**Leah: **SRU, throw your weapons off the windows and exit the vehicle slowly.

_After a moment two men get out hooded teenagers, Spike and Leah pinned them against the car doors and search them, they're not armed._

**Spike: **Is that what they teach you in higschool these days? Explosives and Cop-killing?

**Leah: **Two suspects in custody boss.

**Greg: **Bring them in.

**Peterson: **_(standing up) _I'm sorry, anything more I can do?

**Greg: **No thank you you've been very helpful, just stick around ok?

_Peterson leaves the truck._

**Winnie: **Boss I got nothing from the organization that harassed Global Tech, counter-terrorism said they only went as far as protesting in front of the company and complaining loudly on social networks.

**Jules: **Well maybe someone thought that wasn't enough.

_Ed has grabbed Sam by his gear, trying to pull him out, he clenched his teeth in pain, the ceiling lets out a threatening growl. Ed pulls Sam down again._

**Ed: **Boss I move Sam and fifty-six floor collapse on top of us, we need help in here.

_A man in a EMS uniform gets in the truck, puts on an headset._

**Jules: **Ed you've got Ems on the line.

**EMS guy :** Have you taken his pulse?

**Ed: **Slow and still dropping.

_Greg and Jules stand around, very concerned._

**EMS guy: **You keep the wound shut, try and get him to slow his breathing, he'll lose less blood. Don't take the bar off, if you move it from even an inch he'll bleed out in seconds ok?

_Jules bites her lip._

**EMS: **Any head wound?

**Ed: **don't think so.

**EMS: **Keep an eye out for any brain trauma.

**Ed: **What I need is for you team to get in and get our man.

**Greg: **Eddy, Spike and Leah are on access, they'll find a way.

_An officer brings the two teenagers in the truck._

**Jules: **What's your names?

_Silence._

**Greg: **What do you boys have against Global Tech?

_Silence._

**Jules: **Look, how old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen? When this is all over, you'll be trialed for this as adults, and believe me I'll be there to tell the jury how you kept essential information as two cops stuck inside battled for their lives.

**Teenager 1 : **Look we don't have nothing against Global Tech ok? We didn't think anyone would get hurt.

**Teenager 2: **It wasn't his plan.

**Jules: ** Whose plan?

**Teenager 1: **James's.

**Greg: **James Peterson ? CEO of Global Tech?

**Teenager 1: ** dude ! Lives in my neighborhood, gave us some cash, just told us to stick it under a desk or something.

**Teenager: **Gave us all the alarm code and stuff.

_Greg and Jules panicked, they had just released James Petersen, they leave the truck looking in the crowd for him._

**Greg: **Winnie digs up everything on the CEO of Global Tech, it's him. He's the bomber.

**Winnie: **Copy.

_Jules asks the officers if they've seen Petersen, they shook their heads, one of them shrugs vaguely._

**Jules; **Dammit, we had him ! Winnie put an APB on him, all patrol cars.

**Greg: **Why blowing up your own company?

**Winnie: **Petersen founded Global Tech 12years ago, that's all I have, guy's got no family, wife or kids.

**Jules; **His job is all he's got, why destroy it?

**Winnie: **Oh, oh. I've got something else. Global Tech just declared bankruptcy yesterday after its contract with the government was dropped. Apparently Global Tech has lost most of his value in the last car bombing in Afghanistan, 15 soldiers died on that attack.

**Greg: **That's the trigger. His whole world is collapsing around him, losing money, social status, the company he founded himself.

**Winnie: **Boss I've got a 20 on Petersen, he got cornered and grabbed the gun of an officer just a block away. Holding him hostage.

**Greg: **_(sighing, looking panicked and tired): _When will it stops. Alright, keep the crowd countained we're heading , I've got no choice you're coming with me to cover me, you take cover and you stand back. No necessary risk.

**Jules: **copy boss. On my way.

_Ed is still covering Sam's wound._

**Ed: **They're working on it Sam, you'll be out in a minute, they're going to blast their way in.

_Sam nods slowly, covered in blood and sweat, very white and shaking._

**Sam: **I don't know if it is the right time to say it but, I'm a little behind on my tetanus shot, do you think it'll be a problem?

_Ed laughs warmly and gently takes his bloodied hand._

**Ed: **You just sit tight, just a minute now…Just a minute.

_Greg and Jules are now taking cover behind a SRU SUV, Jules covering Greg as he faces Petersen, crying, a gun on the officer's head._

**Greg: **James ! This is Greg Parker, we've met earlier .You helped us find the kids who put the bomb.

**Petersen: **I MADE THE BOMB ! THIS IS MY FAULT !

**Greg: **You didn't know anyone would get hurt, I know you don't wish to arm anyone, so why don't you let that young man go.?

**Petersen: **I JUST WANT OUT !

**Greg: **It can all stops if you give me that gun. You're not a killer yet, this isn't over for you.

**Petersen: **That cop. Sam. He's gonna die.

_Jules readjusts her riffle, trying not to think about that possibility._

**Greg: **You don't know that James, my guys are trying everything right now to get him out.

**Petersen: **NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.

**Greg: **That's what happens when you hire hooded eighteen year olds to place bombs, they stand out, they get seen.

**Winnie: **Boss, I just found a contract, insurance for Global Tech, in case of the destruction of company property, there's a million dollars on that contract.

**Jules: **_(to Greg): _Take down the building, get the money, and then blame it on activists.

**Greg: ** I know nothing turned out the way you thought today James, but you can still do thing right, letting the officer go, surrendering .

**Petersen: **I wanted something good to come out of Global Tech, wanted to give the insurance money to my employees.

**Greg: **That's very honorable James.

**Jules**_ to Greg: _Serg I don't get this guy, something is off, I'd think he would be more tempted to commit suicide than to take an hostage.

**Winnie: **Boss, Petersen modified the contract today, the insurance money is redistributed to the employees in case of the death of their CEO.

**Greg, **_(to Jules): _We're looking at suicide by cop.

**Petersen: **I'm sorry about your friends in there.

**Greg: **Their tough they'll make it out, we'd like to help them as well, but instead we're talking you out of hurting someone you don't want to hurt.

**Petersen; **You're right, I'm wasting your time. I'm sorry.

_Petersen drops the officer and press the weapon against his temple._

**Greg: **NO !

_Petersen squeezes the trigger and falls to the and Greg stand still, shocked._

**Leah: **Ed, I placed the charge on the entrance, I'll give you the signal.

_Ed places himself on top of Sam to protect him from further debris from the blast._

**Spike ,**_sniffing:_ Wait Wait HOLD HOLD.

**Ed: **What is it?

**Spike: **Can't you smell that?

_Leah shakes her head._

**Spike: **That's Thiol. It's a substance they put in Propane, otherwise it's odorless, makes it possible to detect gas leaks.

**Leah: **We can't blast our way in.

**Spike: **We'll blow the whole street up.

_The whole team stands listening, concerned._

**Ed: **What about other access? ANYTHING !

**Spike; **Everything is sealed, taking the debris out will take hours, and anything could collapse on you guys if we take one piece out.

_Ed takes a look at the cables around him sending sparks everywhere._

**Ed: **Not to mention we're sitting in a damn dynamite factory with that gas leak. It could catch fire at every moment.

**Jules: **We need people to secure the foundations, equipment, rescue teams.

**Ed: **_looking at Sam, coughing blood. _You'll never get to us on time Jules!

_Jules clearly distressed, a hand on her belly._

_Sam opens his eyes at the mention of Jules name._

**Sam: **I need you to patch me through Ed. Through your headset. Please.

_Ed's eyes are suddenly wet as he understands._

_Ed still holding his hand looks into his eyes._

**Ed: **We still have time Sam.

**Sam: **ButI don't. It's got to be now.

_Ed nods, he hands him his headset._

**Sam; **Guys.?

_Everyone reacts immediately to his voice._

**Jules; **Sam we need you to hold on, we're coordinating a rescue, you just stay put, and you stay with me Sam.

**Sam:**I'll be waiting

_Ed lowers his head, that the truth is that Jules will never see him again._

**Sam: **Just wanted to tell you guys how proud I am to be working with the best. When I said there was no place I'd rather be I meant it.

**Greg: **Sam.

**Sam: **And no other team I'd rather be in charge of my rescue.

_Spike and Leah slowly put down their equipment, they start to understand it'll be of no use._

_Jules finally breaks down and silently cries, large tears rolling down her cheeks._

**Jules: **Sam there's no team without you. You just hold on now.

**Sam: **Jules. Do you remember that small coffee-shop on St Clair Avenue?

**Jules: **Don't do that Sam.

**Sam: **We sat there after we learned you were pregnant.

**Jules: **Don't do that to me Sam, you just hang on, you fight.

**Sam: **We sat and we held hands for hours.

_The whole team now is emotional, eyes watering, grief-stricken._

**Sam: **I couldn't let go of you.

**Jules: **Than don't ! Don't let go ! Stay and Fight Sam !

_Silence._

**Jules; **Sam? SAM ?

_Ed dries his eyes on his sleeve and utters: _

**Ed: **Jules. I'm sorry. I've lost him.

_Spike and Leah look at each other sadly, Greg looks stunned, empty._

_As the truth sinks in, Jules collapses to the floor in the empty street supported by Greg, as she sobs in silence._

EMPTY STREET, THE SU IS RISING.

_The team has gathered around an ambulance where Jules is getting her blood pressure taken and her fetus monitored . None of them know what to say._

_Ed slowly walks out of the building, supported by paramedics, his arm in sling, the other one brushing a body bag put on a stretcher. _

_Jules rips her pressure cuff off and walks towards it. The sergeant first tries to stop her._

**Greg: **Jules.

**Jules; **I need to see it..Or I'll never believe it.

_Greg nods silently and lets her through._

_As she passes him, Ed presses her shoulder, looking at her intensely, not finding words to express himself. She nods and open the body bag slowly. _

_The metallic bar was taken out, leaving him drenched in blood. With her sleeve she wiped the blood off his mouth and stroking his hair._

_As she turns her head to the right she can see the pool of blood on the floor._

**Jules: **_Whispering: _ Why did you let go?

_Greg takes her by the shoulder and leads her to the same SUV they took to get there, where he sat her down._

**Greg: **I'd like you properly checked out and monitored, I'll take you, Ed has already been rushed there.

_Jules doesn't listen to him; she sees something on the floor next to the SUV and picks it up._

_It's Sam's dog tags. Greg looks at her._

**Jules: **Sam never goes out on a mission without those. He must have lost them. He told me after surviving two tours in Afghanistan he felt like these dog tags were his talismans, that since he was wearing them nothing could get to him.

He wasn't wearing them.

_She says, in a whisper._


End file.
